The average price of electricity for this Friday, April 17, 2026 will be 70.87 euros per megawatt hour (MWh) in the wholesale market, according to data published by the Iberian Energy Market Operator (OMIE). Electricity continues unstoppable and marks its fifth consecutive rise of the week, starring a slight increase of 2.22% compared to Thursday. Specifically, about 1.54 euros more will be paid for the ‘pool’.
As a reminder, note that this amount corresponds to the wholesale market, which does not include concepts such as taxes or tolls. These are included in the Voluntary Price for Small Consumers (PVPC), which is the one that affects consumers with a regulated or indexed rate in the free market and is published late in the afternoon by Red Eléctrica.
When is electricity cheaper this Friday?
The cheapest hour of electricity will be from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., with a price of 0 euros/MWh. As has been happening all week, the cheapest slots begin in the morning and last until mid-afternoon.
When is electricity most expensive tomorrow, Friday?
The maximum price of electricity will occur between 9 and 10 p.m., when it will reach 123.01 euros/MWh (this represents a small decrease compared to Thursday). The most expensive hours of electricity will occur at three different times of the day: early in the morning, early in the morning, and between the end of the afternoon and at night.
Price of electricity by hour, Friday, April 17
With each new rise, consumers must pay even more attention to consumption, adjusting it according to the evolution of electricity. This will be the price of electricity hour by hour on Friday, April 17, 2026 in the wholesale market:
| Hour | Price (euros/MWh) |
|---|---|
| 00:00 – 01:00 | 119.92 |
| 01:00 – 02:00 | 114.89 |
| 02:00 – 03:00 | 112.53 |
| 03:00 – 04:00 | 106.03 |
| 04:00 – 05:00 | 104.58 |
| 05:00 – 06:00 | 109.33 |
| 06:00 – 07:00 | 111.18 |
| 07:00 – 08:00 | 116.44 |
| 08:00 – 09:00 | 112.46 |
| 09:00 – 10:00 | 81.23 |
| 10:00 – 11:00 | 21.65 |
| 11:00 – 12:00 | 0.91 |
| 12:00 – 13:00 | 0.00 |
| 13:00 – 14:00 | 0.00 |
| 14:00 – 15:00 | 0.00 |
| 15:00 – 16:00 | 0.00 |
| 16:00 – 17:00 | 0.00 |
| 17:00 – 18:00 | 1.01 |
| 18:00 – 19:00 | 44.99 |
| 19:00 – 20:00 | 87.42 |
| 20:00 – 21:00 | 115.81 |
| 21:00 – 22:00 | 123.01 |
| 22:00 – 23:00 | 114.26 |
| 23:00 – 24:00 | 103.27 |
Evolution of the price of electricity during the first 17 days of April
The average price during these first 17 days of April has been 34.99 euros/MWh, which means that electricity is now 7.93 euros more expensive than compared to a year ago, when the average price was €27.06/MWh.
If today’s day is compared to just a year ago, a significant increase of 223.02% can be seen. It is so because April 17, 2025 The price of electricity stood at €21.94/MWh, while the price today stands at €70.87/MWh, which represents an increase of €48.93 compared to the same date last year.
| Date | 2025 | 2026 | Difference in euros/MWh |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 1 | 58.60 | 5.15 | -53.45 |
| April 2 | 27.99 | 5.00 | -38.22 |
| April 3 | 22.10 | 14.44 | -7.66 |
| April 4 | 11.24 | 21.21 | 9.97 |
| April 5 | 24.42 | 23.15 | -1.27 |
| April 6 | 26.56 | 19.40 | -7.16 |
| April 7 | 56.14 | 33.48 | -22.66 |
| April 8 | 47.67 | 63.21 | 15.54 |
| April 9 | 31.98 | 53.20 | 21,22 |
| April 10 | 19.20 | 44.48 | 19.20 |
| April 11 | 18.35 | 28.91 | 10.56 |
| April 12 | 27.01 | 13.33 | -13.68 |
| April 13 | 18.35 | 23.81 | 5.46 |
| April 14 | 24.54 | 45.97 | 21.43 |
| April 15 | 11.73 | 59.90 | 48.17 |
| April 16 | 12,14 | 69.33 | 57.19 |
| April 17 | 21.94 | 70.87 | 48.93 |
The impact of the Iran conflict on the electricity bill in Spain
The geopolitical instability caused by the conflict with Iran threatens the transit of hydrocarbons, generating fear of global shortages that trigger international prices for natural gas. As Spain is a country dependent on imports, this rise in raw materials has a full impact on the energy sector.
This international extra cost is directly transferred to the Spanish wholesale electricity market due to its marginalist operation. This means that the last energy needed to cover demand is the one that sets the price for the rest. Thus, when clean energy is not enough and the system has to resort to burning that expensive gas to generate electricity, the general price per megawatt hour automatically shoots up for the entire market.
As a result, the electricity bill goes up. Consumers with regulated tariffs (PVPC) suffer this blow almost instantly, while those on the free market will end up assuming it when renewing their contracts if high prices remain. Our main buffer against these conflicts in the Middle East is renewable generation: the more wind and solar energy we produce, the less gas we need to use and the more stable prices remain.